


This Is Halloween

by addledwalrus



Series: Halloween 2017 [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: 1990s, Accidents, Aged-Up Character(s), Angels, Assault, Awkwardness, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Brother-Sister Relationships, Candy, Celebrity Crush, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Children, Costumes, Cultural References, Dancing, Devils, Dirty Dancing, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreams vs. Reality, Elementary School, Embarrassment, Fights, First Aid, Foe Yay, Friendship, Gen, Generation Gap, Grandmothers, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Head Injury, Homoromantic, Hugs, Humor, Jealousy, Leprechauns, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Misunderstandings, Monsters, Movie Reference, Mummies, Musical References, Mutants, Parody, Phobias, Pop Culture, Puppy Love, Rivalry, Rumors, Scary Clowns, Secrets, Sexual Humor, Skipping Class, Slime, Subtext, Teacher-Student Relationship, Toys, Trick or Treating, Unconsciousness, Unrequited Crush, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 15:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12345684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: Things don't go as planned for ten year old Zach on Halloween in 1998.





	1. Chapter 1

Zach felt the urge to run back towards the front door a second time to make doubly sure that it was locked, before setting off for the bus stop with his brightly colored school bag.

Spending mornings alone had become the norm ever since Jennifer returned to college, though a high pitched voice soon let him know that he'd have company.

"Zach!" Alicia called out excitedly as she reached his side, her dark ringlets bouncing. "Wait for Noah and me..."

"Uh, sure..." Zach replied with a shrug, before she wrapped both arms around his waist without warning. "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a hug. Because I like you."

"O-okay..."

The arrival of Noah moments later prompted Alicia to hastily let go while pretending that nothing had happened, though her brother wasn't fooled.

"Alicia, you can't hug everyone you meet."

"But I only hug you and Mom.."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"Whatever."

Alicia pouted as Noah ignored her in favor of walking ahead next to Zach. She bit her lip hard so as to discourage herself from whining about a perceived injustice and instead thought of a field trip she'd been looking forward to for over a month now.

* * *

"Morning, class." Miss Greene greeted brightly upon seating herself in front of the twenty five or so children and opening up her bright red folder to take attendance.

"Morning, Miss Greene..." Zach along with the rest of his classmates responded apathetically.

"Okay, here we go. Kyle Barrington?"

"Here, Miss..." A snooty looking boy muttered from the back of the room, before firing a mischievous glance at fellow class clown Jared.

"...Ashley Hale?"

"Present."

Miss Greene ran through everybody else's names including Zach's until she reached the final student on the list.

"And last but not least. Carmen Vasquez?"

"Here." The tanned little girl seated beside Zach said in reply, while flashing a mouth full of perfectly straight teeth.

He subtly glared at her for a moment or two, feeling jealous after remembering his mother mentioning something about an overbite.

"Now, class. As you know, Halloween is coming very soon. Would anyone like to share their special plans with the rest of the class?"

Jared raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Carving pumpkins with my Mom."

"Any trick or treating?"

"Not this year."

 _"Yes. Suck it, Jared!"_ Zach thought with a smug grin, content that his Halloween was already looking up to be far more fun, what with him finally receiving permission to dress up and roam the neighborhood at night like other kids.

He turned to restlessly gaze in Noah's direction, eager to make his availability known to the other boy as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

_Zach's heart sank upon realizing that gym class would be next. He opened his locker to stare bitterly at his gear for several seconds, remembering all the times that Kyle and Jared had mocked his clumsiness, before a soft female voice sounded behind him._

_He spun around in surprise to see a slim and beautiful young woman leaning strutting towards him, a pair of devil horns adorning her red hair as she gave a heart stopping wink._

_"Zachary, baby..." She spoke up in a seductive tone. "What's the harm in skipping gym just once? It's not like your future's gonna be ruined forever..."_

_"Tina! "A second female yelled loudly, causing Zach to slouch against his locker in dread. "That's my baby brother you're messing with!"_

_"Jennifer?" He mumbled flatly, recognizing the face of his older sister before having to stifle a chuckle at the wobbly halo attached to her head._

_"Shut up, Zach." She snapped without turning her head. "Whatever you do, don't cut class. Think of the mark it will make on your grades."_

_"Oh, come on. He sucks at that subject anyway."_

_"Don't listen to her! I believe in-"_

_Tina smirked and produced a glowing pitchfork, before thrusting it straight through Jennifer's chest._

_"...you._ _"_

_Jennifer fell to the floor in a heap while Zach could only gape at the she-devil in disbelief. She nodded to show her support of his truancy so that he'd hopefully feel less guilty about it._

* * *

"Hey, Alicia. Wanna see something?" Zach asked, producing a green painted jar while Noah fiddled with a walkie-talkie on the other side of the room.

"Sure. What's in there?"

Zach twisted the lid off and poured a ball of slime into his open hand. Alicia wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"I think I'd rather play with my fairy dust."

"Okay. Suit yourself."

Alicia pulled a pink jar out from her bag and upon opening it, accidentally spilled some of the sparkling dust on to Zach's slime.

The slime instantly doubled in size and Zach dropped it in alarm before standing up.

"Oh my God."

"Huh?"

"Can you give me some more dust? I think my slime just grew bigger."

"Really?" Alicia uttered innocently as she sidled closer up to him.

"Yeah."

"Well, here you go." She replied with a sigh, handing her entire jar over. He took it and began sprinkling the contents over his slime, only to find in horror that it's growth was exponential.

"Holy crap. Alicia, get back!"

He stepped backwards and grabbed her by the arm before she could react, then pulled her with him towards the stairs while Noah began to scream loudly in terror.

The slime continued to expand and consume everything in it's path even as the two of them reached the second floor.

"What do we do now?" Alicia asked with a trembling voice just as her brother's screams abruptly stopped.

"I don't know...there might be a way to get on the roof?"

"Like through a window?"

Zach gulped and looked instinctively towards the bathroom before deciding to give her suggestion a try.

It took a minute of combined effort to get through the window and on to the roof, where a loose tile unfortunately gave way and caused Alicia to lose balance.

She screamed and Zach managed to seize her by the wrist just in time, though gravity along with the tightness of his grasp resulted in a rather audible snapping sound as she dangled over the edge.

"I don't want to die..." She whimpered while staring painfully up into his wide eyes.

"You won't..."

Zach then put all of his strength into trying to pull her back up, as the slime finally slithered it's way on to the roof and a mutated Noah emerged from the house to wait restlessly below.

"Must...eat...children..." Noah grumbled slowly in a deep and distorted voice while he stared up at the two figures, no longer recognizing them as his little sister and close friend.


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't be afraid, my army of slime mutants. Go forth and multiply..." Zach murmured in his sleep before a wrinkled hand shook him awake and he sat up screaming at the sight of his grandmother's face.

"Oh my God, Grandma Marge! You scared me!"

"Zachary. It's eight o'clock. Time to get up." The elderly woman stated coldly, puling away his blanket and prompting him to instinctively curl up in a ball.

"Aw, but I'm still tired..."

"Shut up. When I was ten, I had to get up early and help mother in the kitchen."

"Alright, then..."

Zach reluctantly slid out of bed and let his feet touch the floor, only to brighten up at the thought of watching Saturday morning cartoons.

"You are lucky. You don't have to cook-"

"Grandma, I need to change. Go away, please?"

She groaned in disapproval and left the room with heavy footsteps, leaving him alone to choose his clothes while also taking his Halloween costume into account.

_"I can see where Jennifer gets her temper from..."_

He finished off the ensemble by slapping on a bright red baseball cap and rotating it to the side.

* * *

Zach spent most of the daytime watching television and playing computer games, much to the horror of Grandma Marge as she scurried around trying to clean up his mess.

"You are like a little pig! Doesn't your mother complain?"

"No. She only comes home at night..."

"Your loss, then."

Evening came and after an early dinner, Zach got into his costume just in time for the door bell to ring.

"I'll get it!" He yelled through his mouth hole while running past Marge and reawakening her childhood fear of clowns.

He opened the door to find Noah still in everyday clothes while Alicia stood to the side, awkwardly wrapped up in masses of toilet paper.

"Noah spent all of his time helping me." She explained matter-of-factly. "I'm a mummy, like the one in-"

"You don't need to tell Zach what you are. He's not stupid."

"It's okay, Noah. I'm not offended...why aren't you dressed up?"

"Well, I'm not a candy obsessed kid like you two are. And I don't need a costume to be scary."

"Oh. So, how do I look? Good?"

"Lame." Noah replied without a moment's hesitation, prompting Alicia to glare at him in disapproval.

"That's mean, Noah..."

"I'm just stating my opinion."

"But, still-"

"I think it's time we started. You brought a basket, right Zach?"

"Uh, sure...I'll just go and get it..."

Zach ran back into the house and searched the kitchen for a large container of any sort, before Marge unexpectedly entered with just the thing he was looking for.

"Wow, thanks Grandma!"

"My pleasure. Now, go out and be active."

* * *

"I can't believe it. This basket's already half full." Zach remarked in awe as he lifted it up to stare at the various wrapped candies. "We've really lucked out, haven't we? I can't wait to see Jared-"

"Zach?"

"Yeah, Noah?" He asked with a little less enthusiasm, turning to the other boy while Alicia tried to fix her unravelling bandages.

"You're so obsessed with being better than Jared, it's starting to sound like you're in love with him or something..."

Alicia stopped picking at her costume and began to listen in curiosity.

"No way, Noah...what's there for me to like about him?"

"I don't know. You said yourself that he had pretty eyes..."

"Ha ha..." Zach chuckled nervously, refusing to believe that such words had come from his own mouth. "I think _you're_ the one who's in love. You're just trying to pin it on me."

"Shut up. You don't know how gay you sound."

"Noah, you said the g-word!"

"You too, Alicia. Be quiet so we can go to the next house, please?"

"Fine, but I'll show you that I'm not...nevermind..."

Zach decided to save the rest of his sentence for a later time while he rushed ahead to reach the door first. He propped himself up to ring the bell before eagerly awaiting whomever was inside.

The door swung open several seconds later and he opened his mouth to begin talking, only to be swiftly smacked in the face by a baseball bat.


	4. Chapter 4

The baseball bat collided against Zach's face and he fell backwards, the head of his costume flying off before he landed on the ground. 

Noah and Alicia caught up and simultaneously began to stare open mouthed at the assailant.

The young woman in the doorway brought a hand to her mouth in horror and lowered her makeshift weapon.

"Oh my God...I'm so sorry..."

"It's too late to apologize!" Noah cried out while Alicia knelt down to check on the unconscious Zach. "He could be dead for all we know!"

"Noah, I think he's still breathing."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That...that's a relief..." The young woman said shakily as she too got down to observe the inert ten year old. "I have a first aid kit in my house. I'll get it while you make sure he's okay..."

* * *

Zach could feel his muscles and bones aching as he forced himself into a sitting position and blinked in the darkness.

_"Wait, muscles?!"_

He bolted to his feet and fumbled around until the flame of a candle caught his eye. He followed it's dim light towards a door that was ajar and pushed through to find himself in an elegant and sweeping dining hall.

_"Woah, it's even grander than the one at Mom's hotel..."_

He then backed straight into the wall at the sight of a reflection radically different from the one he'd come to know.

 _"So I've turned into a grown up and I'm handsome? Sweet...but why am I dressed up like Leo what's-his-name from Titanic?"_ He mused, scratching his head in wonder while remembering the heartthrob actor Jennifer and her friends tended to swoon over.

_"Okay, maybe he's not that bad..."_

A rattling against another door cut short Zach's attempt to continue admiring his newfound good looks. He turned away from the mirror and cautiously approached, before reaching for the doorknob.

He twisted it and was immediately attacked by a growling mummy. The undead creature stumbled straight him for arms outstretched, it's shrivelled mouth twisted into a crooked grin.

"Zach...give me a hug...I love you..."

"No, never!" He screamed, charging for the dining table and grabbing a large candle stand. He flung it straight into the mummy's face so that it's bandages ignited, causing it to shrink to the floor in a twitching, flaming heap.

He stood back and watched it quickly perish before placing the stand back where it belonged. Shaken by the ordeal, he breathlessly strode off to find somewhere quiet to recollect his thoughts, only to be confronted by yet another being of the night.

"Grrr, the full moon is up! Time to eat!" An unusually furry and adult version of Kyle growled upon boldly entering.

The werewolf predicatably laid eyes on Zach and also tried to overpower him in the same way that the mummy had.

"Not tonight, dog man!"

Zach picked a steak knife up from the table and used it to stab the beast straight in the heart.

"I swear, there better not be something else coming my way. I just want to...oh crap..."

A rather disoriented Noah shuffled in and landed heavily upon the nearest chair. Closer observation made it clear that tiny bolts were embedded in the young man's head.

"It sucks being made of dead people parts..." Noah muttered flatly while struggling to slice up his steak. "You don't know if your thoughts are your own or someone else's."

"What? Aren't you going to try and kill me?"

"Nah, just don't feel like it."

"Oh. That's great then."

"Not so fast, fool! The fun's not over yet!" A third male voice yelled, prompting Zach to drop his cutlery in shock and stare blankly at the newcomer.

"Who are you?"

"Don't you know who I am?! I'm Jared!"

"Really? You look nothing like your kid version..."

"Neither do you, idiot."

"Okay, so what are you supposed to be? A Christmas elf?" Zach remarked while noticing the bright red clothes Jared was wearing.

"No, stupid. I'm a leprechaun!"

"Ha, that's so lame! Shouldn't you be wearing green?"

"No, we wear red. It's always been that way!"

"So, where's the rainbow? Do you have a pot of gold for me?" Zach continued to tease, no longer feeling afraid as Jared's face began to flush with anger.

"Shut up! We leprechauns are scary and powerful!"

"Then prove it."

"Halloween wouldn't exist if it weren't for us, you know!"

"Save the history lesson, Jared. I'm leaving."

"No, come back! We're not done yet!"

* * *

"Thank God you're back. Are you alright?"

Zach opened his eyes to see a strange young woman pressing an ice pack to his forehead. He panicked and tried to wriggle free.

"Easy. It's still swollen!"

"Just tell me who you are!"

"Fine..." She replied, letting go of him so that he could slowly stand. "My name's Melanie. I've been afraid of clowns ever since I watched 'It' on TV as a kid."

"That doesn't explain why you had a baseball bat." Noah countered, stepping closer in the chance that Zach would pass out again.

"Well, I just made a pinata and was going to test how strong it was..."

"Really...?" Noah replied while unsure of whether to believe such a seemingly contrived explanation. He took Alicia's hand and led her away, deciding that there'd been enough trouble for one evening.

"Come on, let's go home."

"Hey, don't leave me here!"

"Your head's fine, Zach. You should be able to walk with us."

"Well, okay..."


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning, class. Did you all have a fun Halloween?"

Zach remained quiet and glanced knowingly at Noah, recalling Saturday night while other kids detailed their own exploits.

A dispute broke out as they all tried to speak at once and Miss Greene had to raise her voice to shock them into silence.

Attention fell on her and she took the opportunity to inform everyone of the upcoming school dance.

"Chances are, you'll before going over a few routines in gym tomorrow. Better not miss it this time, hmm?"

Zach felt the eyes of Miss Greene as well as most of his classmates fall upon him. He swallowed and nervously shifted in his seat.

Fortunately, she soon moved on to the boys clustered at the back of the room, her expression serious as she brought up an incident from earlier in the year.

"Oh and no messing around with the speakers like last time."

Kyle groaned in disappointment and rolled his eyes, only to throw a punch at Jared's arm once her back was turned.

* * *

"Hey, guys. Can I talk to Zach?"

"Hi...Carmen?" He answered in surprise, straying from Noah's side and wondering what a popular kid like her wanted from him.

"I'm here to tell you a secret, but if you say that it was me, I'll kill you. Painfully."

"O-okay. What is it?"

"You know how we both hate Jared?"

"Uh, I guess so..." Zach said in uncertainty. He thought of the rare times when his rival displayed a sensitive side and it made him reconsider the strength of his own feelings.

"I heard him singing in the bathroom after school yesterday. He thought nobody was around."

"So?"

"It was an Aqua song and he knew all the words. He secretly loves them."

Zach blinked and took an entire minute to process the unexpected news, before finding himself bursting into laughter at the absurd notion.

"You're kidding, right?"

Carmen frowned and placed both hands against her hips.

"It shouldn't matter if I'm lying. If everyone else thinks it's true, then we'll get our revenge."

"Oh. I get it now."

"So, are you gonna do it?"

"Um..." Zach hesitated, turning to stare at Noah for a few seconds before facing Carmen again. "...I'm in. I can't wait to spread it around!"

"Great. Thanks for helping!"

Carmen scurried off back to her own group, leaving Zach alone to choose Noah as the first person whom he'd impart the rumor to.

"No way. That's actually hilarious." Noah remarked wide eyed after Zach had finished whispering his ear. "We need to start telling people now."

* * *

"Jared, you fag! How could you like Aqua? They're a gay band!"

"What? Where did you hear that?"

"Some kid in third grade told me. How else would they know your name?!"

"Shut up, Kyle! I like them because they make me feel like peeing!"

"That doesn't make sense!"

"I know, but it just happens!"

Zach allowed himself a smirk while listening in on the heated conversation going on nearby and getting ready to go home. It seemed like Carmen had been telling the truth all along and the fact that Jared's reputation had just taken a blow filled him with satisfaction.

He shut his locker and pretended to be oblivious as he headed out of the building into the sunlight.

The feeling of a hand slamming against his shoulder just feet away from the school gates made him grow tense and he turned to find in horror that Jared had been following him the whole time.

 _"Oh_ _no_..." He could only think while looking up into the taller boy's large brown eyes.

"You must think it's funny, right Olsen? Now my friends think I'm lame..."

Zach choked in fear before his mouth blurted out the first thing that had any chance of ensuring his safety.

"It wasn't me! It was Carmen!"

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

Jared withdrew his hand and backed away in embarrassment before apologizing for the apparent mistake.

"Sorry for scaring you. I'll get her tomorrow."

_"Phew, that was close..."_

* * *

"Oh my God. It's the pony song!" Noah exclaimed with uncharacteristic excitement as he stood up to join the other children on the dance floor. "Are you going to come with me, Zach?"

"Alright, but I am a bit scared of the girls right now..."

"Come on, it's gonna be fine."

Zach reluctantly followed Noah's lead and soon found himself accidentally bumping into the rather prissy Brittany. She gave him a haughty glare before shifting away to mind her own business.

He tried to relax and simply let go for the rest of the song, only to once again have his efforts interrupted by Carmen approaching with killer intent in her eyes.

She made a detour at the last moment however and instead strutted right past to where Jared was attempting to hump the floor.

Zach watched in disbelief as she promptly raised her foot to stomp Jared's face straight down, before Kyle suddenly dove out from the crowd to knock her over.

A little fight ensued that was broken up within the minute by the gym teacher, whom then ordered all three to the sidelines for some explaining.

With all major threats out of the picture, Zach was finally able to enjoy himself and dance freely without fear of being ridiculed or victimized.


End file.
